From 10|1914 - 9|1917, CCS were posted at Hazebrouck. The Germans bombed the town between 9|1917 - 9|1918 making it unsafe for hospitals. In 9 - 10|1918, No 9 British Red Cross Hsptl was stationed there. Commonwealth burials began in Hazebrouck Communal Cemetery 10|1914 & continued until 7|1918. At first, they were made among the civilian graves, after the Armistice these earlier burials were moved into the main Commonwealth enclosure. Contains 877 WWI Commonwealth burials. 17 are…

Diary written by teenage soldier killed in WWI reveals horrors of war

A diary written by Private Thomas Chambers, or Tommy, which he wrote in France in the months leading up to the Battle of the Somme is set to go on display. Tommy was among almost 20,000 British soldiers killed on July 1, 1916, little more than 3 months after he had arrived in France from Ireland. He was 16 years old when he was killed. The last note in his diary was: " Left for trenches at 2am 1st July."